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Mason County, Washington
Mason County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. It is named for the first Secretary of Washington Territory, Charles H. Mason. As of 2010, the population was 60,699. The county seat is at Shelton, the county's only incorporated city. Mason County has several school districts. Mason County was formed out of King County on March 13, 1854. Originally named Sahewamish County, it took its present name in 1864."Milestones for Washington State History -- Part 2: 1851 to 1900", HistoryLink.orgWashington Agricultural Statistics Service, US Department of Agriculture, as archived at the Internet Archive Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,051 square miles (2,722 km²), of which 961 square miles (2,489 km²) is land and 90 square miles (233 km²) (8.56%) is water. Geographic features *Case Inlet *Hammersley Inlet *Harstine Island *Hood Canal *Lake Cushman *Mason Lake *Olympic Mountains *Puget Sound *Squaxin Island *Totten Inlet Major highways * U.S. 101 * SR 3 Adjacent counties *Jefferson County, Washington - northwest *Kitsap County, Washington - northeast *Pierce County, Washington - east/southeast *Thurston County, Washington - southeast *Grays Harbor County, Washington - southwest National protected areas * Olympic National Forest (part) * Olympic National Park (part) Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 49,405 people, 18,912 households, and 13,389 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile (20/km²). There were 25,515 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile (10/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.46% White, 1.19% Black or African American, 3.72% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.45% Pacific Islander, 2.10% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. 4.78% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 16.7% were of German, 9.9% Irish, 9.8% English, 8.6% United States or American and 6.8% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 18,912 households out of which 28.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.90% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.20% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.89. In the county, the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 26.50% from 25 to 44, 25.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 107.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $39,586, and the median income for a family was $44,246. Males had a median income of $37,007 versus $25,817 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,056. About 8.80% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.30% of those under age 18 and 4.90% of those age 65 or over. Census-recognized communities *Allyn-Grapeview CDP *Shelton City *Kamilche CDP *Skokomish CDP Other communities *Belfair *Eldon *Harstine Island *Hoodsport *Lake Cushman *Lilliwaup *Matlock *Potlatch *Tahuya *Union See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Mason County, Washington References External links * Official Tourism Web Site for Mason County * Mason county government * Mason County profile by the Shelton-Mason County Journal * [http://www.masoncountydailynews.com Mason County Daily News] Category:Mason County, Washington Category:Established in 1854